BlackBerry A10 photo leak, 9720 model will ship with outdated OS

BlackBerry has undeniably faced difficulties in the recent past, yet somehow the company continues to survive. Although many analysts had predicted that the Q10 and Z10 handsets would be the final rendition of the BlackBerry phone line, the rumor mill believes otherwise, and now has pictures to prove it.

According to BGR, the BlackBerry 9720 and the BlackBerry A10 will hit store shelves later this year. Originally code-named “Aristo”, the A10 will be the company’s marquee device, with its primary focus on the gaming market. Much larger than any of its predecessors, the smartphone is adorned with a 5-inch display. To improve on the color issues that plagued owners of the BlackBerry Q10, the Canadian manufacturer has upgraded to a new Super AMOLED Screen, shown below. BGR believes that the device will carry a resolution of 1280 x 720, which is a little underwhelming for those accustomed to 1080p.

Reports also suggest that the BlackBerry A10 will carry 2GB of RAM, as well as a dual-core processor. Consumers will probably be upset that BlackBerry decided to forgo the more powerful quad-core chip; however, this decision should improve the battery life.

Aesthetically, the device can be compared to the popular Galaxy S4, with its screen slightly larger than its Samsung counterpart. It will feature round edges, which can be contrasted against the sharp corners and harsh look of the BlackBerry Z10.

At the other end of the spectrum, is the upcoming BlackBerry 9720, which aims to be an upgraded version of the BlackBerry Bold 9700. Interestingly, this device will feature the outdated BlackBerry OS 7, instead of new BlackBerry OS 10.

As the only new QWERTY model currently known, the product doesn’t exactly spark much excitement. In fact, when compared to the two-year old BlackBerry 9900 (device on the right), it seems to be a considerable step backwards. Luckily, the handset does have one saving grace: it should be relatively inexpensive.